On April 30, Saturday of Bright Week, with the blessing of the Head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission, Archimandrite Roman (Krassovsky), pupils of the Sunday school at the REM and their parents took an active part in the children’s Liturgy, which took place in the Garden of Gethsemane, on the territory of the Convent of Mary Magdalene. The service was headed by a cleric of the REM and Sunday School teacher Priest Roman Gultiaev. The Liturgy was served in the open air, in a chapel dedicated to the feast of the Lord’s Entry into Jerusalem. This chapel stands on an ancient staircase carved into the stone, which has been preserved on this site since the time of the Savior’s earthly life. It was along these steps that Christ entered Jerusalem for his voluntary suffering.
All the children took part in the service, the children’s choir was led by Maria Alalam, almost all the boys servedas alter boys and helped the priest.
This service has become a part of the “Open Air Liturgy Project”, the purpose of which is to celebrate services in holy places connected with the earthly life of the Savior and on the ruins of ancient Byzantine churches, where the last time the liturgy was performed a thousand or more years ago. At the end of the liturgy, a children’s Paschal procession was performed around the territory of the monastery.
Such Paschal services on Saturday of Bright Week become a joyful Easter tradition for the children, especially for those who could not take part in the midnight Liturgy for the feastday itself.
After the service and the festive meal, at the Easter pagent, the children performed a small concert and presented gifts to Abbess Elisabeth, the sisters of the convent and parishioners.
Tags: Bright Week, children, Mother Elisabeth (Smelic), Priest Roman Gultiaev, Russian Gethsemane